Queensland’s ambulance bosses keep the lines of communication open with front-line staff and are always on the lookout for ways to move faster, save more lives, and help hospitals keep Queenslanders healthier.

Dr Stephen Rashford

New initiatives in the Queensland Ambulance Service and silo-breaking collaboration with hospitals have paid service delivery dividends in recent years. It’s helped having a leadership team that stays in touch with front-line staff.

The QAS was brought under the umbrella of the state’s health department in 2012 and, according to its medical director Dr Stephen Rashford, that’s helped smooth out the continuum of care that starts as soon as paramedics are called. “It’s not just about getting them to hospital alive, it’s actually making sure that when they recover, they’re in a better state,” he told The Mandarin.

The service keeps an eye on its performance metrics against other jurisdictions, but the main reason behind the success of its continuous improvement efforts is the way the organisation works, says Rashford.

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